Shop Wine

wines

The 2001 Lafite-Rothschild has a little more precision on the nose compared to the millennial Lafite. It’s vivid and focused, featuring blackberry, briar, cedar and mint, and a touch of cola in the background. The palate is well balanced and svelte in texture, building beautifully with aeration to a gorgeous, truffle-tinged finish that is a little spicier than three years ago, when I last tasted this vintage. Maybe it just tails off toward the finish when compared to the 2000. Still, this is an elegant, blue-blooded Lafite-Rothschild that exudes class.Vinous Media | 96 VMStick your nose in this and it says something--"I am special." Deep and generous aromas of blackberries, fresh tobacco and minerals. It’s full-bodied, with big velvety tannins and a superlong finish. Like a fine cashmere sweater. Best after 2010. 22,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 96 WS(Château Lafite Rothschild, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France, Red) Perpetually underrated, the 2001 Lafite is positively radiant at this point, with a forward, curranty fruit character touched with spice and just a suggestion of smoke, leather, and earth. The texture has lovely depth, vibrant acidity, and firm tannins that draw out the finish. It is coming into its own at just past 20 years of age now. July was cool, but August was hot before the cool, rainy weather arrived in September, and many observers wrote off the year. Picking began the last week in September. At Lafite, 43% of the harvest made it into the grand vin. This wine has 20 or 30 years left in a proper cellar. (Drink between 2022-2052)Decanter | 95 DECThe 2001 Lafite Rothschild’s deep, saturated plum/purple color is accompanied by lead pencil liqueur-like notes intermixed with sweet red and black currants, plums, and cedar. This blend of 86.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13.5% Merlot is a classic example of Lafite. Extremely elegant, medium-bodied, with intense concentration, richness, and sweet tannin, it appears to be on a rapid evolutionary track, at least in comparison to recent Lafite vintages that have been far more backward and powerful. The classy 2001 should be at its finest between 2007-2020.Robert Parker | 94 RPNo written review provided. | 93 W&S

Gorgeous, a clear step up from the 2000 vintage as it approaches its second decade. This is not quite ready to drink, although a few hours in a decanter could open it up sufficiently. It’s full of intense, tight and spirited black fruits, replete with this château’s signature richness of structure, which seems to ooze naturally through the tannins. There’s a real sense of energy and zest, with liquorice, slate, spice, cassis and black cherry. The second half of August was hotter in 2001 than 2000 in St-Estèphe, and the grapes were left to reach a long, slow maturity. Harvesting did not begin until 1 October when the nights were getting cooler –this will have helped the wine keep its remarkable freshness. Matured in 80% new oak. Drinking Window 2018 - 2040Decanter | 95 DECThe 2001 Cos d’Estournel is blended of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot—a very high percentage of Merlot in this vintage and a very late harvest, which started on October 1st. Deep garnet in color, the nose is singing with savory notes of smoked meats, tapenade, bay leaves and beef drippings with a core of plum preserves, redcurrant jelly, dried cherries and baked blackcurrants with wafts of peppermint tea and dried roses. Medium-bodied, the palate practically tingles with vibrant dried herbs, red fruit preserves and minty notes, structured with firm, finely grained tannins and fantastic freshness, finishing very long and minerally.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThe 2001 Cos d’Estournel has a fresher nose than the 2000, showing more focus and vigor and delivering black cherries mixed with fig, blood orange and light cigar box aromas. Side by side, this is certainly more youthful. The palate is well balanced with supple tannins, a fine bead of acidity, and fine grip and freshness. This is still quite tight at 20 years old and would certainly benefit from decanting. Blood orange and a light sprinkling of white pepper appear toward the finish. In this face-off, I have a preference for the 2001 over the 2000.Vinous Media | 93 VMVelvety textured with soft and silky tannins and a chocolate, meat and berry character. Full and round. Slightly forgotten and delicious. Drink now.James Suckling | 93 JSSuave, with a cool, minty hint weaving around the core of mulled red currant, blackberry and plum fruit. Lovely spice, black tea and singed juniper notes are perfectly inlaid throughout, showing a tug of charcoal at the very end.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Drink now through 2025. 17,705 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WSNo written review provided. | 91 W&S

This is a marvelously complete wine, with its impressive ripe fruit, shining through the open structure. It is firm, but not too much. Stone black fruits are just perfectly ripe. There is just a core of dryness to compliment the rest of the wine.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEOffers a pretty sweetness of fruit, with raspberry and currant coulis notes gliding along a polished structure. Alluring mesquite, incense and rooibos tea elements flow through, revealing a light iron echo on the finish. Modestly sized but well-constructed.—Blind '01/'03/'05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Drink now through 2025.Wine Spectator | 93 WSModerately saturated ruby-red. Aromas of redcurrant, cedar and tobacco. At once juicy and soft, with currant and tobacco flavors. Offers a silky texture and lovely volume but not quite the structure or grip of the 2002. But this is lush, captivating claret.Vinous Media | 91 VM

2001 was a vintage that very much suited Pomerol, and the Merlot here takes precedence over the Cabernet Franc, expanding sideways, juicy and smiling. This is a show stopper of a wine, from the very first moment that you pour it. Concentrated and powerful, it gathers pace through the palate with flavours of truffle, cinnamon, toasted almonds, rich plum and damson. The texture is of cashmere and silk, the fruit palate varied and balanced. You can open it now, but there’s no rush, even at close to 18 years on. Drinking Window 2018 - 2035.Decanter | 100 DECThis wine possess great beauty, it is almost Burgundian with its soft tannins and sweet fruit. Pure class and finesse in this, it is round and thick, long and very yummy. No need to wait on this, pull the cork. This vintage had more Merlot than the 2000 and you can tell. A subtle wine.James Suckling | 96 JSNo written review provided. | 95 W&SThe 2001 Vieux Château Certan is one of Alexandre Thienpont’s favorite vintages, and it is easy to see why. It has a classy bouquet, brambly red fruit, quite luscious in style and aromatics that are determined to seduce. The palate is medium-bodied with a firm backbone that will guarantee this as a long-term Pomerol. There is wonderful tension from start to finish, less sinewy than the 2000, more agile and one could say, "athletic". It is a wonderful wine that is now nipping at the heels of the previous vintage. Tasted from a bottle taken from my own cellar bought on release.Vinous Media | 94 VMA brilliant effort from Alexandre Thienpont, this blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc is a deep purple-colored, fleshy, layered effort offering a sweet nose of creosote, incense, Christmas spices, plenty of red and black fruits, and hints of licorice as well as new oak. Rich, medium to full-bodied, with tremendous purity in addition to nobility, give it two more years of cellaring and drink it over the next following 15-18 years.Robert Parker | 93 RPThis is grippy and earthy at first, with tobacco, warm stone, mulled currant and fig fruit notes. Settles down with time in the glass, showing more polish and a pretty violet detail through the finish.—Blind ’01/’03/’05 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2017). Drink now through 2027. 4,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

(Château Le Pin, Pomerol, Red)

A terrific sleeper value, Stephan von Neipperg’s 2001 Clos de l’Oratoire boasts a deep blue/purple color as well as a rich nose of melted licorice, espresso roast, black currants, minerals, smoke, and earth. This opulent, medium-bodied St.-Emilion exhibits abundant quantities of fruit and glycerin along with a fleshy, ripe, expansive finish with no hard edges. Some tannin lurks beneath the surface, but this is a beautiful wine to drink now and over the next 10-12 years.Robert Parker | 90 RP